What do Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesus Christ, and Katniss Everdeen have in common? They are all popular figures that feature in audiences’ responses to “name someone (fictional or in real life) who made their society more democratic.” People’s views on democracy are shaped by deeply personal stories that contain underlying beliefs about how the world works and inform how people see their roles in society. In our latest Deep Story Survey, we explored what these personal experiences—like people’s democracy heroes—reveal about how each of our four values-distinct audiences imagine an ideal government.

Divided on Democracy

We started by asking audiences in the U.S. whether the country should “restore or transform democracy” and the responses revealed deep divisions along values lines:

In the audience map above we see audiences in the north pole (strive & create) want to transform democracy while the audience to the south (preserve & protect) want to restore democracy, regardless of individualist or collectivist orientation (me or we).

Four Paths to the Same Destination

Despite these apparent divisions we discovered something more nuanced when we asked our question about democracy’s heroes. In these responses we see people across the political spectrum sharing remarkably similar principles about how government should work.

• Preservers and Restorers Don’t Tread on Me respondents choose heroes who protect existing systems and restore foundational principles. They’re especially likely to mention Lincoln preserving the Union or Washington refusing kingship. As one respondent put it: “In a constitutional republic, 99.9% of the people cannot take away the rights of the other 0.1%.”
• Includers and Expanders People Power respondents select heroes who broaden democratic participation and create new protections. They favor figures like MLK expanding voting rights and FDR creating safety nets. One noted: “Martin Luther King Jr...fought to dismantle segregation and promote voting rights for all.”
• Bridge-Builders Tough Cookies respondents name heroes who work across divides and find common ground. They mention figures like Jesus and Obama working across party lines.
• System-Breakers If You Say So respondents choose heroes who challenge corrupt institutions from outside normal channels. They mention characters like Katniss Everdeen from the The Hunger Games overthrowing regimes and Superman operating beyond traditional authority.

Shared Principles, Different Definitions

What’s striking is that even audiences who reject the term “democracy” entirely, still endorse its core principles. Some respondents pushed back with statements like:

• “We actually live in a democratic republic, where we choose who will represent us in the government. Not a direct democracy.”
• “Democracy benefits the majority while a constitutional republic protects the minority.”

Yet when we look at what both conservative and progressive audiences want from government, we see remarkable alignment. People in the U.S. want a government that:

• Represents the majority, not special interests

  • “Bernie Sanders has consistently fought on behalf of the majority of people over the years.” -People Power respondent
  • “President Trump has made the country more democratic by winning as an outsider and defeating the two major political machines.” -Don’t Tread on Me respondent

• Is responsive and accountable, not corrupt

  • “FDR, he directly took on corporate power and curtailed it for a time.” -People Power respondent
  • “Donald J. Trump, working on cleaning out the swamp that is Washington DC!” -Don’t Tread on Me respondent

• Provides equal protection for minority and individual rights

  • Both People Power and Don’t Tread on Me consistently emphasize constitutional protections and civil rights enforcement

Beyond Definitions to Common Ground

Understanding these different democratic stories—and the shared principles underneath—suggests our political conversations might be more productive if we focused on these common goals. Whether someone calls it democracy or constitutional republic, most people in the U.S. want the same thing: representative, responsive government that protects everyone’s rights equally.

That doesn’t mean the work will be easy. While people might be working toward the same goal, different audiences definitely aren’t taking the same path to get there. Some are doing the work of restoration while others are focused on transformation, all achieved via the actions of different kinds of heroes—from peacemakers to commanders, to caregivers to dreamers. Moving forward, we’re curious about how we can tell the stories that help us understand how to travel together, or at least side-by-side, on our different journeys to this shared destination. If you have ideas for what kinds of stories these might be, get in touch!